520 weekend closure + “Vactoring Montlake Pits”

Image: WSDOT Flickr stream

Plan ahead for trips to and from the Eastside this weekend. It’s time for another full closure of SR-520 from Montlake Blvd to I-405 in Bellevue, from 11pm Friday to 5am Monday. Expect heavy traffic on I-90 as a result, especially Sunday evening before the Sounders playoff game at 6pm.

Crews will use the closure to set 18 concrete girders for the Bellevue Way overpass. These girders are up to 147 feet long and weigh up to 271,000 pounds. For comparison, the leetle beam in the photo above from last month’s closure — a meager 85,000 pounds.

WSDOT crews will also be out Sunday morning giving the Montlake Bridge it’s annual vacuum bath. The left lane in each direction will be closed from 6:30am – 11:30am while the large pits under the counterweights are cleaned out. The work is noisy due to large “vactor” trucks sucking up leaves, dirt and whatever else collects in the bridge’s nether regions.